Opposition Islamic party PAS came under fire from the federal government and a political ally for proposing a strict dress code for non-Muslim women in the only state it rules.

The dress code suggested by the municipal council of Kota Bharu in Kelantan, would force non-Muslim women to don long skirts and loose, long-sleeved blouses.

At present only Muslim women are required to comply with a dress code of loose attire to the ankles and head scarves. They can be fined up to RM500 for violating the code.

The council this week distributed guidelines on its proposed new rule, which would also apply to pictures of women in billboard advertisements, to 8,000 business premises in the capital.

But Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim said the proposal was "outrageous" and would violate the rights of non-Muslim women, the New Straits Times reported.

The Kelantan government could dictate the dress code of civil servants under its jurisdiction but has no right to tell others what to wear, he said.

Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn added: "The Chinese community has sufficient upbringing to do what is right... the way we dress is the responsibility of our families, or the individual, in accordance with our own norms."

Muslim Malays make up some 55 percent of Malaysia's 25 million population, with Chinese accounting for 25 percent and Indians 7.5 percent.

PKR slams dress code

The proposal also came under fire from a key PAS ally, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) led by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

"To forcefully impose a dress code through penalties would only create a negative impact on society towards Islam and the implementation of its laws," the party said in a statement.

"It is not appropriate for the municipal council to enforce the dress code on members of the public."

The PAS proposal followed complaints about skimpily dressed women offering promotions in supermarkets.

"Women who wear such clothes are contributing to the rise in sex crimes and that is why I am in favour of any move to curb such dressing," PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who is also Kelantan's chief minister, was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper.

PAS 'out of touch'

MCA, a key pillar in the ruling coalition, slammed Nik Aziz for being out of touch with reality.

"Doesn't he realise that most sex crime victims are fully dressed from head to toe and some of them are children?

"Someone with that kind of mindset on gender issues is an obstacle to the progress of women," said the chief of its women's wing, Ng Yen Yen.

PAS, which aims to turn multicultural Malaysia into a theocratic state under Islamic rule, rules only one of the country's 13 states.

It has issued a series of religious decrees in Kelantan, from banning unisex hairdressing salons, massage parlours, and public singing and dancing to discouraging Muslim women from wearing lipstick and giving priority to less attractive women for state jobs.

The party was thumped by the ruling coalition in last year's general elections in which it lost power in neighbouring state of Terengganu but kept its hold on Kelantan with a slim majority.